best casing size for most sausages

[gdp]

Newbie here. I've made a few batches of hot dogs and sticks, and now ready to step up and make "middle size" sausages like italian, brats, boudin for sure, etc. The issue I have is that I like buying an entire hank for the quality but a hank might last me a year or 2 or 3 at the rate I make sausages. I like natural casings and very pleased with the 20 and 22mm casing hanks I got from Butcher Packer, so now I'm hoping to find 1 natural casing size that will be good for all of the middle size sausages mentioned above. It would be nice to only have to keep 1 size in the fridge. Maybe it's like asking if Ford or Chevy is better :) , but if you had to pick 1 size casing for italian/brats/boudin, what size would you get?

 

[DanMcG]

Personally I like 29-32mm, but 32-35mm is the go to for most people.

 

[chopsaw]

Me too , 29 - 32 .

The issue I have is that I like buying an entire hank for the quality but a hank might last me a year or 2 or 3 at the rate I make sausages.

They will last that long when stored correctly .
Mine used to last that long . Just got my 4th bucket in the mail last week . Hard to eat store bought after you get your own figured out .
I use these ,

 

[pops6927]

I use 32-35 mm in pre-tubed casings from Syracuse casings - www.makincasing.com they are packed in salt, just rinse off what you need and store the rest in your refrigerator!

 

[pops6927]

Prices include shipping, too! They are THE BEST!

 

[gdp]

I use 32-35 mm in pre-tubed casings from Syracuse casings - www.makincasing.com they are packed in salt, just rinse off what you need and store the rest in your refrigerator!

Are they shipped in a salt solution or dry salt? I've been led to believe that salt solution is the best but don't have the experience to know.

 

[gdp]

Personally I like 29-32mm, but 32-35mm is the go to for most people.
Thanks! I think I'll like the 29-32 as well but want to see what others use.

Me too , 29 - 32 .

They will last that long when stored correctly .
Mine used to last that long . Just got my 4th bucket in the mail last week . Hard to eat store bought after you get your own figured out .
I use these ,
View attachment 430439

Thanks for adding the info. That was my understanding but good to hear it from someone with experience. I have my 20 and 22mm stored that way. Totally agree about "hard to eat store bought"..the hot dogs I made were life changing haha.

 

[chopsaw]

An old thread of mine got bumped a minute ago . From 2018 . I make a comment in it about buying my first hank of quality casings . So I've went thru 3 in a year and a half . LOL. Got the fourth rinsed and soaking like this ,

How to handle natural casings

Thought I would post up what I do with natural casings. I use naturals 99.9% of the time when making sausages be it sheep or hog casings. I get compliments about how the casing are very delicate and have a perfect snap when you bite into the sausage. I believe the quality of the casings is part...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[gdp]

An old thread of mine got bumped a minute ago . From 2018 . I make a comment in it about buying my first hank of quality casings . So I've went thru 3 in a year and a half . LOL. Got the fourth rinsed and soaking like this ,

How to handle natural casings

Thought I would post up what I do with natural casings. I use naturals 99.9% of the time when making sausages be it sheep or hog casings. I get compliments about how the casing are very delicate and have a perfect snap when you bite into the sausage. I believe the quality of the casings is part...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

That's a lot of sausage to eat! If you have too much you can send it my way :)
Thanks for the thread on handling but I was lucky enough to see it before I got my first shot at handling casings. That really saved me a lot on the learning curve!